Late night cock up at T2-baggage goes to T1
Mini riot at luggage carousel in T2 on Friday 14th September after early arrival (22.45) of FR9162
Flight arrived 20 mins early and the T2 Border control was still open ( I think they close at 11pm).
After 20 minutes and no sign of luggage a pax spotted a lone staff member and asked where the luggage was,and as a regular traveller said " perhaps gone to T1?"
Staff member made a phone call and then vanished. Terminal now empty of staff (Border control left after checking last passport) with only the 150+ pax getting more and more frustrated.
Angry pax trying to leave through Customs but being told they could not return for luggage,others on mobiles trying to get through to Airport management/taxis/relatives etc etc
Pathetic announcements at 23.20 " luggage will be with you in 10 minutes" followed at 23.35 "luggage will be with you in 15 minutes" and even a lone staff member,accosted beyond Customs,saying there was a "problem with the belts".
Eventually staff,including security,arrived and unfortunately were verbally abused by some angry pax (no excuse) and they said there was a delay getting the luggage back from T1 (handler problems) but it would be back soon.
Luggage eventually arrived back at T2 at midnight, a full 80 mins after the flight arrival (some cynics may say this is normal for BHX)
The only subsequent announcement was that the drop off car park fee would be capped at £1 for the FR Girona pax, which did not help those who missed the last trains and those that had to pay much extra for their waiting taxis.
In retrospect one can understand what happened-the flight normally arrives after 23.00 and presumably both pax and luggage are transferred to T1.
The appalling thing about all this is the apparent unawareness of management of what happened and why nobody took ownership of the problem and got it sorted pdq
I think if pax had not kicked up a fuss then T2 arrivals would have been closed for the night,leaving the pax in limbo/no mans land until someone in T1 baggage wondered why nobody was collecting luggage off the Girona flight.
It would be nice to know the true facts. Was the baggage put on carousels at T1 by the handlers? Did they then have to collect the baggage and reload them?Was the further delay due to them being allocated to another flight or what?
Last edited by ssflyer; 16th September 2012 at 16:14.